Cobb: No Contract Talks

Bill Huber

12/18/2014

Randall Cobb is having a big season at the perfect time, as he plays out the final year of his four-year rookie contract. There have not been any contract talks, he said on Thursday. (Kevin Hoffman/USA TODAY)

Cobb, who is in his final season under contract, has 76 receptions for 1,076 yards and 10 touchdowns. He’s also a part-time punt returner, has provided a spark two of the past three weeks at running back and was voted a special-teams captain on Monday.

But, Cobb said on Thursday, there have been no contract talks between the team and his agent, Jimmy Sexton.

“Not that I know of,” Cobb said.

After missing 10 games last season with a broken leg, Cobb has put together a season even better than he had in 2012, when he caught 80 passes for 954 yards and eight touchdowns. He’s become a go-to performer for quarterback Aaron Rodgers. Cobb is tied for second in the league with 23 third-down catches that have provided a first down.

It’s that chemistry and confidence and embodiment of “what it means to be a Packer” that had Rodgers making his pitch for the Packers to retain Cobb.

“Cobby, he’s a great player for us,” Rodgers said on his weekly radio show on ESPN Milwaukee on Tuesday. “I’m really happy he went over a thousand yards, which is a great achievement – his first time doing that. He does so much for us. He can be in the backfield and run the ball for us, he can run routes from the backfield, from the slot, from outside. He does it all. He’s a talented guy. To top it off, he’s a great teammate. He’s an excellent practice player. He’s a great leader, he has some timely things to say. He’s great at motivating the guys. He does a great job of bringing the same attitude every single play. I’m really proud of Randall and the things he’s accomplished on the field and, off the field, he’s an even better guy.”

Cobb appreciated the quarterback’s support. While the contract hasn’t weighed on him so much that it’s impacted his level of play, Cobb admitted it’s on his mind.

“I can’t say I don’t (think about it), he said.

With his production and the lack of proven receiver depth on the roster – especially at slot receiver -- Cobb has been seen as an obvious candidate to receive an in-season contract extension for months. Asked about that premise early in training camp, Cobb said that he hadn’t done enough to merit a lucrative extension.

Big numbers notwithstanding, Cobb said that nothing apparently has changed.

“There’s no contract talks that have been going on right now, so I guess not. I guess there’s still more to do,” he said. “So, just continue to put my nose down every day and focus on getting the team into the playoffs and doing everything I can to bring back the Super Bowl.”

Cobb said he hadn’t thought about where he should rank in terms of highest-paid receivers, nor had he considered the prospect of hitting the open market with the start of free agency on March 10. However, at just age 24 and being an ascending player on a draft-and-develop team that has no obvious replacements on the roster, it would seem that a deal will get done in time. Remember, the Packer didn’t re-sign cornerback Sam Shields until the eve of free agency last winter.

As Cobb noted, there’s plenty of time for something to get done.

Until then, Cobb said he’s going to continue going about his business. That means coming to work every day with the same hunger as a kid growing up in Alcoa, Tenn.

“I am my biggest critic. I’ve always been my biggest critic. I’ll always be my biggest critic,” he said. “So I still don’t think I’ve earned what I’m trying to be. I’ve still got a lot of work to do. So I’m just taking it day by day and doing the best that I can to be the best that I can be for this team.”

Bill Huber is publisher of Packer Report magazine and PackerReport.com and has written for Packer Report since 1997. E-mail him at packwriter2002@yahoo.com, or leave him a question in Packer Report’s subscribers-only Packers Pro Club forum. Find Bill on Twitter at twitter.com/PackerReport.